Have we fallen out of love with Aldi and Lidl?

THE rise of budget supermarkets suffered a setback over Christmas, with some unable to cope with demand and others under pressure from rivals, it is claimed.

Aldi has become a ‘victim of its own success’ and simply could not handle the number of shoppers trying to get through its doors, according to a retail expert.

Clive Black said car parks were jammed and outlets had too few staff, with the result that some looked like they had ‘been robbed by a load of school kids’. Meanwhile, he said drastic staff changes at Lidl – with British managers ousted by the firm’s German bosses – had created a malaise.

Both supermarkets are expanding at break-neck speed, opening new stores at the rate of more than one a week.

But Dr Black, head of research at the stockbroker Shore Capital, said he believed sales through stores that have been open for more than a year may have stalled or even fallen in some towns, as mainstream rivals cut prices and launched a fightback.

Aldi and Lidl have not published Christmas trading figures, but Dr Black’s view is based on surveys by other retail analysts.

He added: ‘We are not saying Aldi and Lidl are going backwards...but we are commenting on the underlying performance.’

Aldi rejected the claims, saying 2016 had been its ‘best ever Christmas, with doubledigit sales growth in December’. Lidl did not respond to a request for comment.